5-Day Delivery? What About 3-Day?

Although eliminating Saturday delivery has been heavily debated, reducing delivery to 5 days a week may not be enough. There has been some discussion of whether the viable model for the U.S. Postal Service of the future will incorporate 3-day delivery.

A 2010 study by the Boston Consulting Group for the Postal Service forecasts that the average pieces of mail per delivery point per delivery day will drop from 3.8 to 2.8 by 2020. If this projection holds true, then more households will likely receive no mail on any given day. With the increasing availability of alternative communication choices, it is unlikely that the demand for mail delivery will ever return to previous levels. Therefore, postal delivery may only be needed 3 days a week. Some homes could receive mail on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, while others, on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

Delivery would still occur 6 days a week for Post Office boxes. This additional benefit for P.O. Boxes would meet the needs of customers who have need of 6-day delivery, while generating higher revenue and increasing traffic for the Post Office.

[poll id="135"]

For many customers in the future, the amount of mail they will receive on a given day may not warrant the effort required to check their mailboxes every day. Delivering 3 days per week roughly doubles the amount of mail a household receives on a given day, making the “mail moment” of receiving mail more significant. The savings could be significant. With the Postal Service estimating a $3.5 billion saving from cutting one day of delivery, cutting three days could save roughly $10 billion.

An additional benefit of this every-other-day schedule is that about 50 percent of the mail will have an additional day to reach its destination. These savings can be realized through the use of less costly modes of transportation, additional use of hub-and-spoke mail consolidation network design, and additional load balancing for the mail processing equipment.

What do you think? Can this model balance the need to be financially viable while meeting the needs of the public?

This topic is hosted by the OIG’s Risk Analysis Research Center (RARC).

Comments (72)

Christine Miller

I definitely believe instead of raising the cost of stamps, you should only have mail 5 days a week. Thank you!

Dec 05, 2017

chas

3.8 pieces, we get 9 or 10 per day easy and 120 parcel scans between parcels and slugs. where can I sign up for a route that only gets 3 pieces of mail per stop. My area must subsidize the whole southern U,S, This report can't be factual. We can't even fit all the mail and parcels into the llv most days.

Oct 29, 2017

Philip E Niemeyer

Excellent way to cut costs. Even, 2 days per week would be plenty

Oct 27, 2017

craig

5 day....pathetic delivery...5 day would be good. Shipped a letter Priority Wednesday at the post office...at the earliest, it'll get there 6 days after it's mailed....MAYBE! Why pay the stupid money to get a quick delivery when there is nothing but lies and, "Oooops, it's taking a little longer" Total BS. Going 1,000 miles, paid over $6 for a letter...a normal sized letter and these clods can't get it there in the "Well, we really didn't promise it'd get there in 2 days"....not even close. Trying to find a place to complain and find out just exactly what the problem was...nope, nothing useful on the website.
Why bother complaining...it's evident the USPS doing really give a hoot about providing a good service, they're certainly lying about the "expected time" for delivery (using your own bloody map to determine the time).
Pathetic....and you can't understand why the post office has such a horrid reputation.

Aug 19, 2017

LEI

I absolutely support 3-day delivery. I would rather see that than lose more post offices to budget cuts. We've been conditioned to think we need our mail daily but we really don't. In many cases it's actually really difficult for the elderly/disabled to fetch mail every day; in my case it's just a nuisance. The world will not end if delivery is cut. Hope this will happen, and soon!

Aug 12, 2017

Doug Kourtjian

OF COURSE!! Like eliminating the penny, reducing postal delivery to 3 days is more efficient and causes virtually no dislocation, if the employees no longer needed are properly redeployed (a management issue).
I'm no fan of Trump, but why wouldn't a supposedly smart businessman take this action immediately? Especially given his need to accomplish something? THIS ISN'T A PARTISAN ISSUE. Who is championing this simple, sensible idea in the halls of Congress? Better yet, why isn't anyone?

Aug 02, 2017

NMC

Ive worked as a city carrier for 19 years now, and yes there needs to be some change. But there needs to be change and job cutbacks as well, but ohh no...management cant lose pay or jobs. Ive been a good carrier for 19 years and the majority of us are good carriers. Not all i have to say , but most. Ive seen far more worse and unrealistic management ( supervisors and Post masters).....managenent thinks we city carriers just mess around and sit around...umm you track us remember. Maybe Your offices do...but as they say, your employees perform how they are treated. Oh and PMs who say how rural carriers get in and get out and get paid for 8?. Well do that for us then..!!..oh and btw , you love them until they get in an accident or misdeliver, then what?..oh you write them up, letter of warning, discipline etc., and then you say " you should have took your time and be safe". And as far as all these people saying how we should go to 3 days or hell even 2 days. You know nothing, maybe your job should go to 2 or 3 days a week, why arw you entitled to full time work?..jus cuz you dont check your mail but once or twice a week doesnt mean we dont have to deliver. Mind your own business , and feel lucky we don't make you all pay and get a PO box. Dont sit here and comment how we city carriers bs around and are overpaid and lazy and dont work hard, know whats going on before you speak. All this said, I agree with 5 days a week ( no less). But with most businesses, if you wanna save money, cut at the top. Youll save the most

Jul 09, 2017

Glen A. Arnold

Needs to be done now---I have a long walk to my mailbox and as an older man with physical limitations i am stressed to find nothing but one piece of junk mail and often no mail at all. I still need to check every day because once in awhile i have a bill or other piece of first class mail that i do not want to leave overnight on the street. 3 day delivery would be great.

Jun 23, 2017

A citizen

YES!! 90% of my mail goes in the garbage before I walk into my house. Cut to 2 or 3 days per week

Jun 21, 2017

Scott

Why stop there? Two days a week is fine. Mon/Thu or Tue/Fri.
Yes, mail carriers will lose jobs. That is how we save money and balance the budget.

Apr 29, 2017

Ron G.

Please. Go to 3-Day Delivery. Post Office is bleeding money. Problem solved. Not enough useful mail to justify everyday delivery. Businesses needing everyday delivery pay nominal annual fee. Mailers needing everyday delivery pay double postage. MWF routes near enough to TuThSa routes to accommodate the special everyday deliveries. People will soon realizes how little they need everyday delivery if they have to pay extra. This clearly makes the work more efficient not more difficult as some have suggested. Please stop wasting taxpayer money.

Mar 15, 2017

michael freiwald

what about 7 day deliveries, which is truly the best customer service

Jan 01, 2017

Bela

This should absolutely be done. There is nothing sent by regular mail that couldn't arrive a day or two later. In fact I, like many Americans, only check my mail 2-3 times a week anyway. Many of your customers wouldn't even notice the difference.
I respectfully disagree with the comments below predicting overworked postal employees. It can't be harder (and in fact should be easier and more efficient) to deliver twice as much mail to half as many locations every day. The reason they struggle to get the mail delivered now is all the stops to deliver one piece of junk mail. There might be more work in the sorting to divide the mail among the two delivery schedules, but there should be plenty of former carriers willing to take on that work.
This is the kind of common sense fix that would greatly improve the USPS's standing in the eyes of the public and could serve as a template for other government agencies to look at sensible cost cutting.

Aug 16, 2016

Steve Secor

I've run business, my family and headed up a small club, for thirty years and can't remember one time thinking if I don't receive a piece of mail today a significant problem will occure.. Think of the benefits of three day delivery . Less traffic, less pollution. less wear and tear on the vehicles, less dog bites. This is a common sense solution should be put into effect in days. Sadly the Govt. likes make work so all we'll hear is "that's something we have to look at". Then they'll open a dialog and nothing will be done.

Mar 05, 2016

jack

At my office, carriers are working 8-10 hours per day, delivering 6 days per week. Cut out a day of delivery? They will be working 20% longer each day, or 9-12 hours per day. Cut out 3 days? Carriers will be working 12-15 hours per day, and will have to delay significant amounts of mail just to accomplish that goal. The physical and mental toll on the letter carrier will be extreme. Injuries and illness will drastically increase as carriers physically break down under the sheer weight and volume of the mail. Accidents will increase, as carriers will be delivering mail to residences 1,2,3 or even 4 hours after dark. That is what will happen. Its happening now in certain parts of the country where upper management insists on short-staffing the letter carriers. Delivering to half the mailboxes each day wont' work, as advertisers and mailers will scream bloody murder as their products and ads don't reach their customers on a timely basis. The Postal Service is an advertising arm of small, medium, and large businesses. Until the people advocating for less service and less delivery days understand that, they will continue to suggest short-sighted suggestions that will destroy the POstal Service, cause good people to lose jobs, and alienate their customers, especially the SENDERS of the mail.

Jan 23, 2013

Jim

5 days... first it will cost about 40,000 job.. Next what if you work in a heavy office where you get much more volume then other offices.. You come back to work on a Monday after no delivering Saturday and what if you have a business route? Your route will be so heavy on Monday you will NOT in no way be able to get the route done in 8,,, 10 even in some cases 12 hrs.. And of course the supervisors most whom have never carried mail b4 will tell you it can be done in 8. In the heavy offices with a 5 day delivery they will working 14 hrs a day on some days... Now common sense woudl tell you that on Mondays they need to bring all the TEs,, PTFs. But we all know how that goes. Ha Ha! Instead they will push you and push you and threaten you with PDIs until you go over the edge. Well you know they have to make the numbers look good

Dec 08, 2012

Bernie Carr

UPS makes profit, you do not. You say you track. You do not show daily location even estimated day of arrival, UPS does. In the last 5 years I have been in FL or Vegas for the winter, for of them you have screwed up our mail. One you made me loose my NYS STAR exemption. Another you caused me to pay more for my VA health care. One year (only by the grace of the local postman) could I get mail to my address and then only once a week. Even at my home in NY They only deliver packages to my residence. Letters and small packages I have to walk hundreds of yards or drive to get. (If I did not have permission to cross my neighbors property, it would be twice as far.)

May 26, 2012

Edward Hoffman

Every other day delivery is the only option- JUST DO IT...lifestyles will not be effected, everyone can adjust, and the postal service will be sustainable. Newspapers are closing due to the internet, along with many big-box retailers and DVD rentals will become download only. The Post Office MUST stop the bleeding and every other day delivery is the solution. This is the best way to create a sustainable Postal Service and the public must accept this, or massive closures.

im a rural carrier sub makin less than 25k a year we get no benefits, no holiday pay and make half of what a regular carrier makes, saturday delivery is my only guaranteed work day cmon america theres alot of jobs in the usps just like mine average people makin less than average wages and our president is creatin jobs?????

Feb 14, 2012

USMC

OK we got alot of people on here that are under the table. Average Postmaster does not make over $100 way off due to I am average. 2nd I have been a Army Soldier, US Marine, clerk, city carrier and now a Postmaster I have worked hard my life in the government. Nothing will be out sorced if we go to 5 days, it will be just like a week with a holiday every week, only the PO will delivery the mail. And yes city carriers not all try every day how to make 8 hrs, under trees, 1hr lunches ect. Rural get in and out and go home, this is how they all should work. I would take 50 rural over 5 city any day of the week.

Oct 27, 2011

Justine

City carriers are the ones who works hard.. Really really hard. Some supervisors busy online shopping, checking Facebook and when get bored go out and check the carriers.

Oct 24, 2011

Nan

I for one do not want a 5-day delivery. This means that the USPS will outsource the 6th delivery day to a subcontractor, who is not a federal employee. I personally do not want just anyone going into my mailbox or delivering my mail.

Sep 20, 2011

MSF

Not in my office... I can truly say that my entire staff of city carriers and clerks are caring of one another and do not feel the same as you.My reasoning for deciding to be come a Postmaster was to create a positive working environment. Too bad so sad for you. :(

Feb 10, 2013

Phatpostalguy

The Post Office would do OK if we could only get the goevernment off our back.

Aug 14, 2011

Whatunion

Rural routes are the way to go, but the union doesn't want that system to work. If its about incentive and productivity, rural routes are the way to go! Eliminate city deliver!

Jul 20, 2011

maleit

The Post Office is in dire need of restructuring. Someone needs to step in and refresh the whole system.
Why are there rural and city carriers doing essentially the same thing and their rules are very different. Find the best characteristics from each and use the best method which should in some way be like the private sector. City carriers have more incentive to not work efficiently. Some rural carriers make up to 80k per year plus benefits and work less than 40 hours per week.
Establish a rational high and low salary and give incentives to all carriers. Pay carriers to work rather than being on the clock and the number of routes will shrink and the mail will get delivered earlier in the day (city carriers).

Mar 15, 2011

mark_mean

maleit,i work for the post office.i can assure you,no carrier working under 40hrs a week makes 80k a year!!a average 40 hour week they make 50k a year,and we put our money in retirement and health care.we get nothing from the post office except a hard time.theres 1 supervisor for every 10 workers,as well as someone in management 1 for every 4 workers.look it up.to many people in management! supervisors make double of a worker,and it keeps going up from there,the avaeage post master makes over 100k a year!!

Sep 21, 2011

nancy

Rural Carriers may be paid an evaluation and beat that evaluation, but how many people who work if given the same incentive could do the same. We work hard to do this and perform more services for our customers than city carriers. So please don't knock us if you have not been there. We work for years with no benefits and "rights" we have to run routes with no training at all, and are expected to run it as well as the regular carrier and within the evaluation. We are supposed to be available 6 days a week (and years ago it was 7) with no promise of work and no pay if you don't. So we have paid our dues.

Sep 19, 2011

teresa

I am a rural carrier, have never heard of a rural carrier that makes that much money, true some of us are done with our rts under the evaluated time. the best way to handle the rural carrier craft is to combine the J rts and aux to the exiting rts in the office. we have 3 J rts in the office where I work.rural carriers save the postal service money. thats way they aren't breathing down our necks like they do city carriers. maybe all carriers should be on evaluated system, no more overtime, do your job and go home. the postal service does need to refresh its system to the times at hand. with fax machines and email we have to move ahead.

Aug 20, 2011

mailoser

Heck I can't even get the post office to deliver my mail anytime of the week. I live in OKC and have been here for 7 months and every bit of my mail has been returned to sender with a stamp saying undeliverable! I did receive one piece of mail the other day and it was rolled up in a ball. What kind of people does the USPS hire to deliver our mail.

Mailoser: Thank you for your comment. Please contact the OIG Hotline at 1-888-USPS-OIG or at http://www.uspsoig.gov/contact.htm.

Dec 21, 2010

who cares is al...

3 days 5 days you all are nuts that write articles like this it only hurts the service you write about. It would be the best service if people like you quit putting out this kind of crap. Get rid of the law that creates a slush fund for the government and rid of the people that sit around dreaming up ways to cut customer service to make us look bad. Keep only the hard working people who sell postage, sort mail, and deliver mail the ones who really provide the customer service!!! Day to day 6 day mail delivery is the best service offered in this country by the USPS!!!

Oct 18, 2010

Gee

5 day delivery is very likely and will save the postal service money. But want about MONDAY...the LETTER CARRIERS will be working 10-12 hours just because the POSTAL SERVICE want to cut a day of service...IF so then have all regular carriers work 8 hours only and have TE's or PTF's do all the rest of the hours that it will take to deliver the mail...WHY PUT THE BURDEN ON THE LETTER CARRIERS&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;

Your right Ron, get back the $75 billion, and they won't have to worry about 5 day delivery, raising rates, or any other measures to cut costs, as they will be in the black. OPM overcharged the Postal Service. The $75 billion belongs to the Postal Service...give it back! Wow, the Government screws one of their own,........ only in America!

Unbelievable but true, Should the $75 billion be returned to the Postal Service, (which is rightfully theirs) it will be used to help cover current fiscal year deficit and beyond ...... I would like to blame this fiasco on the Post Office, but they did nothing wrong. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) actually manages the federal government and civil service. It (OPM) is another branch of the US Government . They (OPM) are responsible for the Postal Service retirement funds. OPM tells the Postal Service what amount is necessary for this funding and the Postal service pays it... which they did. Eventually, they (Post Office) ran an audit which discovered OPM overinflated the payments using the wrong calculations based on projected pay &amp; future inflation. The audit was presented to the Postal Service, Management, OPM &amp; Congress and all agreed the $75 billion was overpayment. It's hard to believe that one branch of the Government could do this to the other, but that's exactly what took place. Now it will take Congress to return the money. If they don't, all taxpayers will in some form or another have to cover the Post Office current shortfall. most likely by raising postage rates again &amp; cutting services. If or when that happens, at least we will know why. Raising rates is bad, it has a big trickle effect, a chain reaction... Post Office charges more- customer pays more-advertisers pay more- so stores charge more for product , the trucker's delivery charges increase on &amp; on..you get the picture ...in the end we all pay. Now I understand the postage rate increases for the past few years, I often wondered why they needed to do it. That $75 billion would have had the Postal Service in the black every year. The reality here is that there never should have been increases over the past few years, and probably wouldn't have if OPM calculated things right... looks like Government bites themselves in the _ _ _ on this one!

Sep 24, 2010

jrkakapastateradio

Wouldn't it be a novel idea to ask the customer this
question? Not just the public.
One simple card, or special notice in a poll of each
existing customer.
How many time day, per week, month, year do wish to receive mail service, if any?
Daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, etc.
Of course, special provisions will supercede all service agreements. Warrants, Certified, Accountables,
etc....
Think of the energy savings alone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Think of the economic impact alone!!!!!!!!!!!
This will serve two purposes.
1. It will define the extent of need for mail service
in this new century.
2. It will identify the actual extent of mail services
to the overall economy and information network in the
U.S., and abroad.
The ancillary benefit would be to identify the true
footprint of the U.S. Postal Service, and it's link
to other competitive similar services.
I know the customer already has options available to them.
But, rather than depend on current service agreements and service. PAY AS YOU GO....

Sep 24, 2010

Bertie da Bunyip

One manager I respected told me that "there are some really smart, sharp people working in upper management".
If that's true, every single one of them must have taken the early out!
Did anyone notice, that after every time you cut service to save costs, mail volume wemt down.
We are making it harder to deal with us, when everyone else is making it easier.
The fact is our customers make cost cutting decisions too. The first time they pay a $29.00 late fee on a bill they mailed, they make a decision.
The 2nd time they wait in line for over 1/2 hr, they make a decision.
When they realize, by how many more non-postal deliveries that come to their house, because big companies have lost patience with the Post Office, they make a decision.
It has gotten to the point where joking about the Post Office doesn't get laughs anymore.
If that doesn't scare you, then you really "don't get it".

Sep 24, 2010

uspsgal

Been there, done that, own the t-shirt. For over twenty years I have carried mail and the only death spiral the USPS is taking is creating more and more management positions that are making a mockery of what used to be a trusted dependable public service. These do nothing individuals have no clue; but are hell bent on figuring out what the carriers are doing wrong that they can (fix) corrupt, to make us work harder and faster. PMG Potter is yelling that the sky is falling and pouring gasoline on a wildfire. Your average carrier is a hardworking honest person that would do a much better job if management would let us clock in do our job and go home, in peace. As it stands we are very resentful, frustrated, stressed out, that's where the term POSTAL comes from.

Sep 22, 2010

Northclerk

I think a better idea would be to not deliver to a particular address unless they have a piece of 1st or 2nd class mail. If it is all Presorted standard, then hold until they have a piece of First, or until the volume dictates a delivery. With rurals the count would reflect this.

Sep 22, 2010

philaclectic

This might not be a bad idea. Something has to be done to get the USPS out of what looks to be a death-spiral, and this would allow for minimal disruption to postal operations. And with a loophole for those who want daily delivery.

Sep 22, 2010

mr. smth

how does being the mouthpiece for corrupt and thuggish USPS upper management involve investigating "waste, fraud, and abuse"? certainly the USPS must adapt to the times, but do you guys really think that the current decision-makers, who have run the ship aground, are the ones to make the call? what is it that the OIG actually does?

Sep 22, 2010

DazedandConfused

I submitted this idea to the OIG some time ago. The USPS would realize a 50% savings in vehicles and fuel, and an estimated 40% reduction in carrier hours. This is the logical solution to the problem.

Sep 22, 2010

goober

Works for me. This is a cost efficient way of saving money while still providing good service.

Sep 21, 2010

secndchans

hey, i have an idea to save EVEN MORE money than going to 3 day delivery--go to 0 days delivery. that way you won't spend ANY money. fools

Sep 21, 2010

taxpayer

Anyone who runs a business depends on their mail, for orders, confirmations, and the volumes of communications with government agencies.
Are we going to have to send someone to the post office every day to get our mail in a timely manner?
Large businesses can aford this. Small businesses can't. We see yet another way for big business to use the government to undermine their competition.

Sep 21, 2010

Anonymous

Sounds great - I'd rather not have to check the mail everyday anyway.

Sep 21, 2010

clerk

I have never seen the USPS make an intelligent decision. It's time upper management was tossed out on their tails and bring in some intelligent life to TRY and correct all the wrongs they've done. Back to basics is what we need, service is what we should be doing, not bean counting. In which they can't do that right, they purposely "alter" the numbers to make themselves look good. What does that do for our customers? NOTHING. They want service! Too much politics is interferring with simple service. People just want their mail delivered on time. They could care less about the nonsense going on inside the PO. But as employees, we can't seem to be left alone to do our jobs that include preparing the mail for carriers, we have to deal with unintelligent decisions by management. They throw out all these ridiculous hurdles for us to do instead of letting us process the mail and get it out the door on time. Which somehow only gets them a promotion. It's all working backwards, move up the idiots instead of demote or get rid of them.

Sep 21, 2010

kathy

This coming from people that have never touched a piece of mail that does not belong to themselfs?
thats like working the day after a holiday everyother day and your going to pay me what regular pay for three days a week i dont think so,when i will still be doing 6 days worth of mail.
the idea that so many people recieve no mail every few days is also crazy at least not on my route even on my lightest days i may have 4 or 5 people with no mail thats out of over 500 boxes
even tho i would lose money i,m not totally aposed to 5 day delivery i dont thinks its fair as we will still be working the same amount of mail but if it would save many many jobs of working people it might be worth it .but first thing that has to go is the many many many layers of management that do nothing all day long and thats the truth when they come to work at all they do very little.

Sep 21, 2010

David Sault

About 1 trillion dollars worth of economic activity and 8 million jobs depend upon the timely delivery of mail. Slow delivery will slow economic activity and negatively impact millions of jobs. Do we really want to go back to the 1800s level of economic communication? The USPS does not just deliver supermarket flyers. People have to stop thinking that mail and mail delivery are somehow optional.

Sep 21, 2010

Mailman

What do you expect from the OIG ? USPS execs are their bosses and pull their strings.
In short, they're just as corrupt as the USPS execs.

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